Hei Bao slipped an arm beneath Cheung Qi's shoulder and carefully helped him to his feet.
"Easy."
Cheung Qi staggered briefly before regaining his balance.
Hei Bao guided him toward the couch and gently pushed him down to sit.
He poured a glass of water before handing it over.
"Drink."
Cheung Qi accepted it without argument.
After taking several slow sips, the tightness in his chest gradually eased.
Silence settled between them once again. This time, it was no longer tense. It was the familiar silence shared between family after an argument.
Neither needed to force an apology. The gesture was enough.
Several moments later, Cheung Qi broke the silence.
"How did you discover she was Rong Qiqiang's spy?"
Hei Bao leaned back against the sofa.
His expression gradually darkened as fragments of the previous night resurfaced.
"Last night."
His voice was calm.
"While we were... together..."
He paused briefly.
"I noticed a tattoo hidden behind her left ear."
His eyes narrowed.
"The moment I saw it, I remembered a report you submitted a few weeks ago."
Cheung Qi frowned.
"A report?"
He searched his memory but couldn't immediately recall which one Hei Bao meant.
"What report?"
"The C City murder investigation."
Hei Bao answered without hesitation.
"The one involving the exiled vampires."
Recognition flashed across Cheung Qi's face.
His eyes widened.
"The serial killings?"
Hei Bao nodded once.
"The victims all bore unusual tattoos."
Cheung Qi slowly recalled the investigation.
"That's right. They weren't ordinary markings. Some were on the back. Others were hidden beneath sleeves or behind the legs. They all shared the same pattern."
Hei Bao folded his hands together.
"Fei Nian carried the exact same mark."
The room fell quiet.
"At first, I only suspected a connection. But suspicion alone isn't enough to condemn someone."
His voice remained steady.
"So after she falls asleep… I ordered our internal intelligence division to quietly investigate her background."
Cheung Qi listened attentively.
"And, they discovered she had been working under one of our franchise companies for months."
Hei Bao's expression turned colder.
"Her employment records were clean. Too clean. Yet behind that perfect disguise, she had been gathering confidential information about our businesses, personnel, and pact movements."
A faint sneer appeared on his lips.
"She was digging through our territory like a rat searching for grain."
Cheung Qi frowned deeply.
"Why wasn't any of this reported immediately?"
Hei Bao sighed.
"Because she is half witch."
That single sentence explained everything.
"Witchcraft can manipulate memories, records, even people's judgment."
He rubbed his temple.
"Those under her influence likely never realized they were withholding information."
Cheung Qi slowly nodded.
"I understand now."
He hesitated before asking another question.
"But why were you certain she served Rong Qiqiang?"
Hei Bao's gaze became distant.
"Her tattoo. It wasn't just identical. It had crimson specks woven into the design."
Cheung Qi's expression instantly stiffened.
"The Blood Moon markings..."
Hei Bao nodded.
"You know what they signify."
Among vampires, only the Vampire Leader possessed the authority to leave that particular mark.
It began as an ordinary tattoo. But once the victim accepted the leader's blood, or fell completely under his control, the mark transformed into the shape of a crimson half-moon.
It was more than an emblem. It was proof of ownership. Every major race recognized it.
It was a warning that the bearer belonged to the Vampire Leader.
"I see," Cheung Qi said quietly, piecing everything together,
"she was truly under Rong Qiqiang's order."
Hei Bao's voice was firm.
"Yes,"
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then another thought struck Cheung Qi.
His pupils contracted.
"Wait… If Fei Nian bore that mark… then those exiled vampires involved in the C City killings..."
He looked directly at Hei Bao.
"They could be under Rong Qiqiang's control too."
Hei Bao remained silent for several seconds, before he gave a slow nod.
"I'm not sure, but in theory it might be so."
His eyes darkened.
"And if my theory is correct… Those murders were never the work of rogue vampires."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"They were a test. A carefully planned operation."
Cheung Qi felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"A test for what?"
Hei Bao's gaze hardened.
"To see how long it would take before we noticed someone had already begun infiltrating every race from the shadows."
The realization settled heavily between them.
Neither cousin spoke again.
Outside, the afternoon remained peaceful.
But inside that quiet office, both wolves understood the same frightening truth.
The peace they had protected for over a century might already be unraveling long before anyone realized a new war had begun.
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Cheung Qi lowered his head, his thoughts racing as he tried to connect every piece together.
If Rong Qiqiang truly had a hand in all of this, then none of it could be a coincidence.
"But... why send a spy?" he asked at last, his voice heavy with unease.
"What does he want with you?"
His brows drew together.
"Is he trying to disregard the peace agreement?"
He looked at Hei Bao, searching his elder cousin's face for answers.
"Or..." He hesitated.
"Are they planning to disrupt the peace between the three races again?"
Hei Bao remained quiet for a long moment.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of the sofa before finally stopping.
"I'm not sure."
His answer came slower than usual.
"And that's exactly what's bothering me."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Everything has been... too easy to piece together."
He leaned back and let out a quiet breath.
"It feels as though someone wants us to arrive at this conclusion."
Cheung Qi frowned.
"You think we're being led?"
Hei Bao shook his head.
"I don't know."
His instincts had saved him countless times over the centuries, and those instincts were warning him now.
Something was missing. Something neither of them had seen.
Across from him, Cheung Qi unconsciously raised his right hand and began biting his thumbnail.
It was an old habit of his. Whenever worry overwhelmed him or his thoughts became tangled, he always did the same thing.
Hei Bao noticed immediately.
"Stop biting your thumb."
Cheung Qi froze.
"And stop overthinking."
Hei Bao sighed before continuing,
"I already submitted a full report before Fei Nian regained consciousness. The higher-ups have been informed. They've already called an emergency meeting with the leaders of every race this Friday."
His tone became firm.
"I'll deal with whatever comes next. So don't exhaust yourself imagining every possible outcome."
He looked directly at Cheung Qi.
"Trust me."
Cheung Qi slowly lowered his hand.
He wanted to argue.
How could he possibly stay calm?
The Vampire Leader had managed to plant a spy inside one of their own businesses without any of them noticing.
As Head of Intelligence, that failure weighed heavily on him.
If someone could infiltrate their territory once. Who was to say there weren't others?
Those thoughts remained trapped inside his mind.
Instead of voicing them, he simply nodded.
"...Understood."
Even so, the worry on his face refused to disappear.
After another moment of silence, Cheung Qi spoke again.
"Rong Qiqiang truly deserves his position."
Hei Bao raised an eyebrow.
"He manages his clan remarkably well."
Hei Bao snorted.
"You mean chaotically."
Cheung Qi blinked before laughing despite himself.
The tension in his shoulders eased slightly.
Hei Bao crossed one leg over the other and folded his arms.
"My chaotic personality finally proved useful."
"It certainly did," Cheung Qi replied with a smile.
"You've probably spared the higher-ups months of chasing meaningless leads. They'll finally have something concrete to investigate."
Hei Bao shrugged.
"I can't blame them. They're only doing their jobs."
His voice became calmer.
"The Mundane Affairs Council isn't made up of fighters like us. They're ordinary humans. They don't possess supernatural strength." He sighs.
"They rely on laws, investigations, and cooperation to keep every race from tearing each other apart."
He looked out the glass wall.
"They carry responsibilities just as heavy as ours."
Cheung Qi quietly nodded.
He couldn't argue with that.
Still, hearing those words from him was surprising. For someone who had never been particularly fond of humans, Hei Bao spoke of them with an understanding that almost sounded like admiration.
It made Cheung Qi wonder if his elder cousin had changed somewhere along the way, or if he had simply misunderstood him all these years.
Either way, the realization caught him off guard. He had never expected to hear Hei Bao speak about human capabilities like that.
After another brief silence, Hei Bao glanced sideways.
"How are you feeling?"
Cheung Qi stretched his shoulders.
"The pressure's mostly gone."
A small grin appeared.
"I'm not as weak as you think."
"I know." Hei Bao answered without hesitation.
"If you were weak, you wouldn't have lasted that long."
Cheung Qi chuckled.
"That's supposed to be a compliment?"
"It is." Before either of them could continue, a loud growl echoed through the room.
Both men froze.
Cheung Qi slowly turned toward Hei Bao, and saw this stared expressionlessly at the ceiling.
Another rumble answered for him, and this time he heard it through the pact leader's stomach.
Cheung Qi pressed his lips together, forcing himself not to laugh, but he failed.
A laugh escaped him.
Hei Bao quickly shot him a deadly glare.
"Keep laughing, and I'll release my pheromones again."
Cheung Qi instantly covered his mouth, and mumbled.
"I wasn't laughing."
"You absolutely were." Hei Bao shot back.
"I was coughing."
Hei Bao narrowed his eyes on him.
"Coughing doesn't shake your shoulders."
Cheung Qi immediately looked away.
"...Maybe a little."
Hei Bao clicked his tongue.
"I've been dealing with you since dawn. I completely forgot to eat breakfast."
He stood up and stretched.
"No wonder I'm starving."